Spraying or atomizing device.



W. J. SMART.

SPRAYING 0R ATOMIZING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 25. |914.

1,232,618. h Patented July 10, 191%.

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Mww@ By ZQM )wf t ATTORNEY.

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WALTER J'. SMART, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. c 1

SPRAYING OR ATOMIZING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1917.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it lmown that'I, WALTER J. SMART,

a citizen of thevUnited States, residing inthe city of New York, borough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and vuseful Improvements in Spraying or Atomizing Devices, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying sheets of drawings, is a full, clear, and conciseV description.

The present invention relates toimprovements in sprayers or atomizers, such as employed for moistening articles of apparel in laundries, dampening fabrics in sponging processes, applying paints, and for all other purposes where devices of this character may besuccessfully employed.

More particularly this invention is directed to a sprayer or atomizer for delivering or spraying a liquid, the flow or spraying of the liquid being controlled by the action of a gas, which is preferably under compression.

An object of the present invention is to provide a spraying or atomizing device of the aforesaid type, which may be cheaply constructed and will embody an arrangement of its parts, whereby the necessity for adjustments or replacements will be reduced to a minimum, and wherein the functioning or operation of those parts may be positively and efliciently accomplished in a way which w'll permit of the successful employment of myfinvention by any one skilled or unskilled in the use of such devices.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a sprayer or atomizer having the aforesaid characteristics and possessing the advantages set forth, which may be used as a portable mechanism, being of what is known as a pistol type of sprayer oratomizer, and held in land operated by the hand of the user thereof, or may be suitably mounted and connected to a permanent piping system for supplying liquid and gas thereto, in which case, the functioning of the sprayer may be manually or automatically controlled, the functioning mechanism embodying a trigger-like arrangement, which by asingle movement serves to sequentially operate means for delivering or spraying the liquidv in a manner which will eEect a'great saving or economy in the vquantity of liquid used for given purposes under systems of spraying now in use, and at the same time obtain better results than are now possible.--

My invention further contemplates a sprayer or atomizer, as heretofore set forth, which may be directly attached to its source of liquid supply, or which may be connected by means of a flexible hose or the like, to a source of supply located away from the point at which my invention is being used, my improved sprayer or atomizer being so constructed that it will work under avery low pressure and permit of a continuous spraying, while held or positioned at any angle without spilling the liquid Vflowing from the nozzle, external means being provided for adjusting or controlling the iiow of the liquid with facility, so that the best results are at all times obtainable with the least possible consumption of the liquid agent.

Various other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the description of the specific embodiment herein shown, though I would have it distinctly understood that I do not limit myself to the details of structure illustrated, I having elected to present my invention in this form solely to provide a clearand comprehensive understanding thereof.

Il shall now proceed to describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings-and then point out with more particularity, the essential and novel features therein, in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of my invention showing the normal position of the various parts thereof, and

Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in section, illustrating the position'of the valves and valve-actuating means, Vwhen my invention is in use, and the source of liquid supply and means of delivery thereto.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, in which like characters of reference are employed-to designate similar parts throughout the several views, 7 indicates a receptacle or reservoir for containing the liquid to be sprayed, which is suspended from a suitable support 8 by means of the block and tacklev 9, the lower extremity of the reservoir or receptacle 7 being provided with an outlet for the liquid, to which is coupled a'flexible hose or tube 10, a valve 11 controlling the passage of the liquid from said receptacle. The tubing or hose 10 may be of rubber or any suitable flexible metal, that of the latter type being particularly desirable under those conditions where the material to be sprayed is of a nature which would destroy a rubber tube or hose.

My improved spraying or atomizing device, which is adapted to receive its supply of liquid from the reservoir 7through the hose or liexible tubing 10, which is connected to the spraying device or atomizer by means of the coupling member 12, comprises a supporting plate 13, which carries a liquid unit 14 and air unit 15, a handle or hand piece 16 of wood or any suitable material being provided to facilitate the use of my device, this handle surrounding the tube 17 and being held in position thereon by the coupling 18 by means of which the air or other gas unit is connected to a suitable source of supply, such as a tank of compressed air or the like, through a hose or tube (not shown), a valve 18a being located in the coupling 18, whereby the passage of the gas into the tube 17 and to the unit 15 may be controlled independently of the controlling means at the source of supply.

It will be observed that the tube 17 com municates with a chamber 19, which is closed by a plug 19a threaded thereinto, the inner end of said plug being recessed at 2O to provide a means for retaining one end of the spring 21, positioned on the valve stem 22, and normally acting to hold the valve 23 on its seat, closing the laterally directed passage 24, leading from the chamber 19 to the vertically directed passage 25, communieating with the passage 26, whereby the supply of the gas flowing from the source of supplyk to the tube 17 is shut olii. Positioned on the unit 15 is a. collar 27, to which is pivoted the bifurcated ends 28 of a trigger or operating lever 29, this trigger or operating lever being freely movable within the elongated slot 30 provided in the supporting plate 13. As will be apparent from the drawings, the outer end of the stem of the valve 23 is threaded, an abutment 31 being positioned thereon andy being adapted to be engaged by the contiguous portion of the trigger or operating lever 29, whereby upon the movement of the lever toward the handle 16 of the sprayer, the valve 23 maybe unseated against the tension of the spring 21 and open communication between the source of gas supply and the tip 32 adjustably positioned on the unit 15.

The trigger or operating lever 29, as will be noted, carries a slotted stud 33, a pin 34 being positioned therein and working within the slot 35 of the connecting link 36, the opposite end of which is fulcrumed within the shoulder 37 Vcarried vby the Vrod 38 on which is mounted, a helical spring 39, one end of this spring bearing against the boss or abutment 40, supported by the plate 13, and in which the rod 38 reciprocates, the other end of the spring 39 abutting against the shoulderl 41 formed integral with the valve 42, whereby the Vpassage 43 leading from the hose or tubing 10 may be opened or closed. The valve 42 operates within the lateral passage 44, one end of which passage is provided with a bushing 45, the opposite end having located therein, a needle valve 4G, by 'means of which, when communication is established between the passages43 and 44, as hereinafter explained, the supply of liquid flowing from the passage 44 to the passage 47 and through the outlet of the adjustable tip portion 48, may be minutely regulated.

As hereinbefore stated, my improved spraying device or atomizer may connected to the source of liquid supply, thus forming substantially an integral Vpart of the reservoir or liquid container, ork it may be connected toI a piping system for supplying liquid or gas thereto, and operated in any suitable manner, or if desired it may be supported wholly by the hand of the user by gripping the handle 16, or the sprayer or atomizer may be suspended from a suitable support by any suitable means,V which may be secured to the eye-49 formed or located-in the unit 15, which is connected to and supported by the plate 13 in proximity to its tip end by the abutment 50 as shown. Y

1n using my improved spraying device or atomizer, as shown in the specific embodiment illustrated, communication is established, between the sources of gas and liquid supply `and the sprayer by opening the valves 18 and 11 respectively. This admits the liquid to the passage 43, which is normally close-d by the valve 42, the operating trigger' or lever 29 and its connectedl parts being in the position shown in Fig. 1, the opening of the valve '18a similarly admits the air or other gas to the chamber 19, the

flow thereof to the passage 25 being prevent- Y ed by the valve 23. UponV the operation or movement of thetrigger or lever 29 toward the handle 16, it ismanifest that the head 31, which is suitably adjusted relatively to the valve stem, and the adjacent portion of the lever 29 to insure proper coperation between the valve 23 and the operating lever 29, will abut against said lever and the valve 23 will kbe unseated, thus permitting the air or gas to flow through the passages 25 and 26V through the outlet 51 in the tip portion 32, the dimensions of this outlet being such. as to produce a thin stream,which travels inV a plane substantially the same as that of the outlet V52 of the tip portion 48 of the Vliquid. nozzle.l This initial movement of the lever be directly or trigger 29 to the position shown in the dotted lines in Fig. l, whereby the unseating of the valve 23 is effected, it will be noted, does not unseat the valve 42, so that consequently the air or gas is iiowing from the outlet 51 across the outlet 52 of the liquid nozzle before communication is opened between the passage 43 and the tip 48, it being assumed, of course, that proper adjustment of the needle valve 46 has been made to control the quantity of liquid issuing from the outlet 52. From the structure shown and described, it will be apparent that the continued movement of the trigger or operating lever 29 toward the handle or gripping portion 16 will effect the unseating of the valve 42, the pin 34 engaging with the end of the slot 35 indicated at 53 and moving the rod 38 against the tension of the spring 39. lVhen the valves 23 and 42 are opened, the relative positions of said valves and their operating parts, as just described, are clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

As before stated the compressed air or other gas flowing from the outlet 51 travels in a fine stream across the mouth 52 of they tip 48, so that as the liquid emerges from the tip 4S through the outlet 52, the stream of air directed thereupon will dissipate it into line particles, carrying it toward the points at which the sprayer is directed by the user, the force of the compressed gas serving to permit the elfective operation of my improved sprayer at a considerable distance from the surface being treated or sprayed.

lhile I have described my invention with reference to the specific details herein shown, it is obvious that the same may be varied in different ways without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, which is directed to an atomizer or sprayer having a source of liquid supply and a source of gas supply and valves for controlling the delivery of liquid and gas thereto, said valves being adapted to function in sequence by a single movement of the valve actuating means.

Having thus describedmy invention what claim as new herein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. ln a spraying device having a source of gas supply and a source of liquid supply, the combination of a gas unit and a liquid unit, said units being provided with discharge outlet members located in a common plane and perpendicular to each other, means for adjusting the position of the orifices of said outlet members relative to each other, an adjusting means and a valve for controlling the passage of the liquid through said liquid unit, a valve for controlling the passage of gas through said gas unit, said valves being located in a common plane, and means for sequentially opening and closing said valves by a single operation.

2. n a spraying device consisting of a gas unit and a liquid unit, said units being disposed in a common plane and perpendicular to each other, a source of gas supply connected with said gas unit, a source of liquid supply communicating with said liquid unit, a valve positioned in said gas unit, means for normally seating said valve to close said gas unit, a valve for controlling the passage of liquid through said liquid unit, a lever fulcrumed on said gas unit and provided with a portion adapted to engage said gas controlling valve, and means connecting said lever to said liquid controlling valve whereby a single movement of said lever in one direction will open said gas valve and said liquid controlling valve in sequence.

In witness whereof l have hereunto set my hand and seal in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER J. SMART. Witnesses P. F. SONNEK, WM. C. DUN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, 'by addressing `the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

